Tuesday, February 1, 2011

"My" Pets

I have yet to blog about either of these events, but last November I lost Lacey, my cat of 10 years. I raised her from a week old. She was a spoiled rotten cat, who I don't think ever figured out she was a cat. In most ways it was a shock in November when I took her to the vet for a routine check up and she died during it.I like to think it was unexpected, but looking back now, I think we knew she was sick, however Lacey did her best to hide it from us. I had no idea she was suffocating from a tumor in her throat until that day when I picked her up and knew she couldn't breath. I remember thinking, I will get her to the vet and she will be ok. Of coarse that wasn't true. It turned out Lacey had been suffering for quite some time from this tumor and cancer. It was a shock to knew my cat had cancer and we never knew. The vet was amazed Lacey was still alive and I know she loved all of us that much that she just didn't want to leave us. She suffered through it. There will never be another like Lacey.

This Saturday will be 3weeks, since we lost Odie who was 14 yrs old. We didn't have him his entire life, he lived with my mother in law. We had him for 2 1/2 years. We finally had to make the decision to put him down. He had no bowel control any longer and I knew he wasn't happy. He had to be bathed all the time from the loss of his bowels and he would just cry. He no longer loved taking a bath, which was something he always loved. It was a tough, very tough decision, even now I doubt it, but in the end I know it was right to have him put down. He is no longer suffering, but man do I miss that guy. I must admit, I really had not looked at his pictures or even Lacey's since they have passed. However, facebook popped up a picture of Odie today,  I had a short cry, but I know it will be ok. I never knew I would love and miss him the way I do, especially being a cat person. I don't think I am going to run out and get a new dog anytime soon. But, I think one day, in the far future, a dog will once again warm my heart in this house.

Lacey and Odie, "my" pets, we all miss you both very much. Tigger, you too! The three of you were awesome pets. See ya in the future.

1 comments:

Unknown said...

I know and share your pain over Lacey. My beautiful baby boy Minuit died like that at 11years old. He had been losing weight for the past 8mo-year and was getting so thin as to look nearly skeletal. I took him in for the third time in 3 months when one morning we woke up and couldn't find him. When we finally did, we knew it was the end; he was hiding as far away from us as he could and when he tried to move, he was more weak and feeble than a kitten.

X-rays showed that he had a HUGE [according to the vet, almost certainly cancerous] tumor in his chest that had been squashing his lungs and tummy for quite some time. We had him put to sleep that day; I held him as he passed on. It is the best and most horrible thing I have ever had to do. Best, because I know he needed help passing on, to be out of his pain. Worst because I felt my beloved, my best friend, slip away within my arms.
He, too, had been suffering for a while and had bravely hidden it from us - from ME - for a long time. He loved me (and I him) like no other and I feel sure that he didn't want to leave me. That is was only when he became too weak to carry on that he was forced to show his illness. I felt so sick, though; hated myself for not realizing before then that he was dieing. Had we caught it a year or so earlier, we likely could have had the tumor removed and extended his life by years. As it was, he was too weak when we found out and I declined surgery because I knew he'd not survive it and that is not how I'd have him pass on to his Next Life.

It is a heartbreaking and unimaginably sad and painful thing, to lose a beloved pet the way you and I lost ours. But it's a testament of their love for us that they endured so much to stay with us just a little bit longer (even if it does wrench the gut and make us want to cry, now). *hug* Just wanted to share my own story with you and let you know that you are not alone - we never will be, they're watching over us - and that someone else understands you pain very acutely.